2004 Chevrolet Silverado: harsh or hard shifting

19 of the 622 complaints about the 2004 Chevrolet Silverado describe harsh or hard shifting.

owner complaints: 19
of this car's complaints: 3%
typical mileage: 35,000
recalls: 0

Is there a fix? 96 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Harsh or hard shifting by model year

2017
13
2015
2
2014
5
2012
2
2011
2
2007
3
2006
1
2005
8
2004
19
2003
25
2002
21
2001
12
2000
12
1999
18
1997
2
1995
1

What owners say

Filed Dec 5, 2010 · Steering · 80,522 miles · PA

Just bought this truck and there is a clunking, thumping, in the steering column. My mechanic says there is a problem with all full size gm products, gm needs to fix this with a permanent fix. How can this not be a safety issue? I bought this truck for safety of my family.

Filed Oct 23, 2010 · Steering · 73,000 miles · LA

Clunking in steering column gm knows about problem stems from 2004 till2008 all have bad steering shaft gm refuses to remediate the problem hundreds if not thousands of vehicles are affected please please look into this problem .this problem occurs on chevy silverado pickups.

Filed Nov 17, 2009 · Steering · 52,000 miles · LA

Steering shaft noise and vibration on 2004 chevy silverado there is a clunking and vibration in the steering when turning at lower speeds. All front end components were verified to be in good condition with no play. Clunking is believed to be coming from the steering column.

Filed Oct 30, 2009 · Steering · OH

The intermediate steering shaft on my chevy silverado has become loose again and not only does it make a clunking sound with vibrations, it now allows the steering to unexpectedly drift over un even pavement or at highway speeds in a cross wind. Has been fixed once.

Filed Apr 13, 2009 · Steering · 35,000 miles · GA

Clunking in intermediate steering shaft. This is the 2nd time in 35,000 miles the intermediate steering shaft needed to be greased. Gm did not have a fix for the problem other than greasing it again. It will need to be greased again in ~ 10k miles...this is unacceptable!

Filed Mar 28, 2009 · Steering · 32,000 miles · TX

2004 chevrolet silverado...the steering column makes a horrible clunking noise. We have had it replaced several times under warranty but now there's no warranty and these parts and labor are too expensive to fix. The dealer says and I know from owning another 2003 chevrolet suburban than this is a major problem with these year model trucks and suvs. We shouldn't have to pay for something they can obviously see is wrong! Sometimes it feels like the steering is not acting right because of it and I feel unsafe driving in these conditions. Please help!!!!

Filed Nov 6, 2008 · Steering · 49,802 miles · WA

Steering column vibration and heavy "clunk" on turning, truck was looked at several times under warranty, and steering column was "greased" to fix issue, which made noise disappear for short period of time. Problem becoming more frequent, and "grease" fix lasting less time each attempt.

Filed Sep 18, 2007 · Steering · WY

#1-blower motor on high then will only blow intermittent.#2 steering to the left can feel clunking noise steering wheel and feel in the floorboard. Local garage can not find the problem. Did alignment. Did not fix problem. Also sometimes hard to steer after reversing.

Filed Sep 3, 2007 · Steering · 41,422 miles · KY

Clunking noise from the steering column. Was told this was chronic problem by a lot of other owners.

Filed Jul 30, 2007 · Steering · 39,000 miles · TX

My 2004 chevrolet silverado z71 has a failure in the steering column linkage where it makes a clunking & whining noise, primarily when turning left. This is a safety issue that my mechanic tells me will cause the steering to fail and that almost all of his customers who own late model gm trucks have this failure. My dealer, classic chevrolet, has also confirmed that this is a very common failure in chevy trucks. My 2002 suburban had this same problem and the dealer had to replace it twice before it was repaired properly.

Filed Dec 13, 2006 · Steering · 15,978 miles · LA

Clunking and rattling noise in steering shaft that can be felt in steering wheel. Dealer and gm acknowledges problem but will not fix it under warranty. Dealer says that gm has not come up with a fix for the problem. Dealer also says that problem is not a safety problem but I am concerned. Dealer also states that this occurs in other models such as suburbans and avalanches, etc.

Filed Aug 16, 2006 · Steering · 7,000 miles · GA

Loose steering components on 3 gm vehicles I own. Dealer replaced once at 7000 miles. Problem occurred again at 14,000 miles. Same problem has occurred on my 2005 cadillac escalade and 2003 chevrolet suburban. Evidenced by loud clunk when driving. Loose steering components could lead to failure. Was told by dealer that he had ordered over 150 of the same components at the time of first replacement. Gm refuses to replace components, instead packing with grease as a temporary fix. Problem will be on going until sub-standard parts are replaced.